The gauntlet has officially been thrown down on a plan to silence your voice and steal the future of firefighters and their families.

As expected, the Secretary of State has certified a new “paycheck deception” initiative that would ban dues collections through payroll deductions, restrict direct contributions to candidates or causes, and restrict participation even in independent campaigns by defining union locals as “government contractors.”

“This sneaky initiative hides behind the smokescreen of ‘campaign reform,’ but it’s really a dagger at the heart of labor and working people everywhere,” said Lou Paulson, President of California Professional Firefighters. “Whether you’re a small local or a large one, this is the important issue on the 2012 ballot.”

It is the third time anti-labor hard liners have sought to muzzle the political voice of working families through restrictions on labor fund raising. In 1998, voters rejected Proposition 226, the first so-called "paycheck protection" measure, bankrolled largely by out-of-state special interests. And in 2005, labor united to decisively defeat Proposition 75, a measure backed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger aimed at cutting off the political voice of firefighters, teachers, nurses and other public workers.

The 2012 version takes the attack one-step further by cloaking its attack in "campaign reform" rhetoric. In reality, the proposal locks in a permanent advantage for wealthy special interests by aiming its "reforms" at those practices that give ordinary people a voice in politics.

"For firefighters, it's basically a throwback to the way things were 50 years ago when a fire chief said 'oh, by the way, you can't speak up,'" said Paulson. "Without a strong voice in politics and the public, management will have free rein to cut staffing, close fire stations and roll back decades of hard-won health and retirement benefits."

The timing of the vote on “paycheck deception” remains unclear. Legislation signed this past fall moves all ballot measures to the November election, but that legislation is currently subject of a referendum drive and a court challenge. If either is successful, the issue would be on the June ballot.

“If this passes and our locals’ voices are silenced, there will be nobody to stand up for proper staffing, workplace safety and retirement security,” said President Paulson. “Whether it’s a June or November election, we simply can’t afford to sit by -- we need to stand up and fight back. “